Virginia Education Officials Finalize NCLB Waiver Request

Virginia education officials on Thursday morning finalized the state's waiver request for flexibility from some requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The application, approved unanimously by the state Board of Education, now will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education for review. If the request is granted, it will go into effect for the 2012-13 school year.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright said she feels confident the waiver request will be approved.

Feedback provided through mock reviews by peer groups and preliminary recommendations from the draft application sent last month to the U.S. Department of Education helped shape revisions to the request, she said.

"I am encouraged that we will send a waiver request … that will be looked upon favorably," Wright said. "The proposal … fits within the parameters given to us by" the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Virginia's application blends state and federal requirements into one system and eliminates the misidentification of schools as failing